A 6-foot chain link fence secures the perimeter of the site where new residence halls will be constructed at Northern Michigan University. Site clearing and preparation work will begin to ramp up Aug. 1. The attached map shows the closed area, the sidewalks that will remain open to pedestrians and the vehicle access routes for material and equipment delivery.

“We plan to keep the campus apprised of the progress throughout the construction,” Thams said. “By the time school starts, the contractor will start putting utilities in the ground and pouring footings. Over the course of the fall semester, structures will begin to appear above ground as the halls are being built.”

The project to replace Quad I is a public-private partnership between NMU and EdR, a national collegiate housing company. According to Jim Thams of NMU Engineering and Planning, it is the largest construction project NMU has ever undertaken. The residence hall complex will be 353,000 square feet—roughly 2.5 times the size of Jamrich Hall—and house 1,229 beds.

“That’s about 40 more beds than we have right now,” Thams said. “There are more single rooms, but there are also both private and semi-private suites. The private suites still accommodate four people, but each student has a private bedroom within the suite. The semi-private is the traditional setup with two beds in each room and a shared bathroom adjoining the two rooms.”

The new residence halls will be delivered in three phases. The first two buildings will be online for fall 2017. Two more will open in January 2018 for the winter semester and the remaining two buildings will be completed for fall 2018.

For more information, contact Thams at 227-2475.